Tag: festival

Coming October 1st and 2nd to Price Center Theater on UCSD Campus!

A closer look at horror!

In a scholarly essay entitled Supernatural Horror in Literature, early 20th century horror author HP Lovecraft opens by stating “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. . .” It is an interesting claim that he says “few psychologists will dispute,” and his adhering to that philosophy has helped make him one of the most influential contemporary authors of what was once termed “weird fiction,” inspiring people from Joyce Carol Oates to Stephen King to Neil Gaiman. A survey of art, literature, and, more contemporarily, film would suggest that Lovecraft was onto something when claiming fear is the strongest and more enduring emotion of the human condition.

Horror, often demonized as base, exploitative, or pernicious, is fertile ground for the exploration of fear. Many people’s discomfort with the genre can be seen as a sign of its potency as a mirror to our dark sides. It is also notable that it is appealing and lucrative ground for attracting a large audience. In the world of film, horror was one of the first genres to be adapted to that new and mystifying medium. Thomas Edison himself is responsible for a version of Frankenstein as far back as 1910. Since that time, it has ever been a staple in filmmaking.

This October, Horrible Imaginings Film Festival is joining forces with UCSD’s ArtPower! Film to bring an exploration of horror in art and cinema to UCSD campus. How does the presentation of fear evolve, and how does it reflect the particular fears of society at a particular point in time? These ideas will be explored over two different evenings!

Note: This event is IN ADDITION to the main Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, which will take place on November 10th and 11th! So much scariness, so little time!